CHALLENGE #2 - all welcome to join in!

[brazen20au]

somehow i missed all the posts above! sorry!

[cathy79]

Thanks for the tips JudyDawn - yes people are helping, I have to decide what I want them to bring.  yes plenty of time to plan - I'm looking forward to it.

[cookie1]

Cathy, one thing I have always found when I have 'the mob' is a suggestion my father made many, many years ago and that was to use paper plates and disposable tablecloth and even cutlery if you are so inclined. He then announced to all and sundry that he would do the dishes after the meal. We cleared the table of the necessary and then he very grandly rolled the lot up and disposed of it in the bin. Many of the family were shocked and it can be expensive but boy it was worth it.
Even now that he and Mum are no longer round if we have 'the mob' we still have the disposable bits and pieces.

We always have a cold meal and have a very busy Christmas Eve but then Christmas day is a breeze. Good luck.
I love Christmas and all the planning.

[Chelsea (Thermie Groupie)]

That's a good idea Cookie.  The washing up is always a hastle and can make the kitchen over crowded. One Christmas day at my Aunty's house years ago we used "real" cutlery and crockery, but people had to wash their own in the laundry trough and stack them on the washing machine.  It seemed a bit funny at the time, but it got the job done and people weren't crowding the kitchen and getting in my Aunty's way (heaven forbid! ).

If you are planning to ask others to bring a dish then consider asking them to bring something cold (a salad, cold meat platter, dessert etc).  That way you can organise the hot dishes yourself and know what will fit in your oven at the same time so that everything can be ready at once. 

[cookie1]

More great ideas Chelsea. We'll all have Christmas well sorted by the time it arrives.

[Thermomixer]

Sure the next challenge will reveal lots of ideas.

[meganjane]

Cathy, another suggestion for your Christmas bash, is to make some truffles and shortbread to have with coffee. These can be done way ahead and you can just bring them out of your pantry and say 'voila' and everyone will think you're a genius!

[cathy79]

MJ - I'd love to do a completely homemade Christmas but will require some serious organisation on my part.  Definitely going to do Canadian Foodie's yoghurt cheese balls so will have to make biscuits for them.

Also having a surprise dinner party for family soon (8 adults).  All they know is to meet at our house and they'll presume we're going out.  But instead, we're feeding them here.  Really excited about that, and have to trawl through all the fantastic recipes I have to start planning that.

[cookie1]

Cathy that sounds like a lot of hard work but fun. Good luck with it.

[meganjane]

Good luck with the surprise dinner party Cathy!

[cathy79]

Thanks.  Any ideas?  I want low fuss, prepare before - I don't want to be stuck in the kitchen.  Was thinking salted maple ice cream,  with custard danish, fresh prawns, not sure what else yet.

[Thermomixer]

Dips are good - serve with bread or crackers or just vegetables.  Soups are also good - cold summer soups like gazpacho, ajo blanco